Drill’s mind silently woke up and he was immediately hit with a headache. Keeping his eyes closed he groaned and tried to find a more comfortable position.

Funny, he didn’t remember crawling into bed the night prior…

“That’s because you didn’t!”

Drill’s eyes suddenly shot open and he caught his first glimpse of his surroundings.

Sterile metal panels made up the walls and ceiling. A white-painted cabinet stood beside his bed decorated with cards and beside it stood a tall metal pole hoisted by a glass bottle, connecting a line down into his forhoof.

A sigh of relief sounded off and he slunk back into the infirmary bed.

Of all the places to wake up after hiking through the snow for two days straight, he was beyond grateful it was the hospital. Granted his stomach was on the verge of eating itself, but he’d take hunger pains over freezing numbness any time.

“Mr. Drill Bit?” Spoke a familiar voice.

Even through his morning grogginess, he could recognise that voice, and it filled him with a cheery joy as he tried to sit up. Comet Trail sat in the next bed over with a cosmology book in hoof. The hind leg he’d crudely bandaged was raised on a pillow and even his wing cast had been replaced.

“Morning Comet,” He groaned. “Are you okay?”

The colt mirrored Drill’s smile and closed the book. “Oh, I’m fine! The doctors gave me something so it doesn’t hurt anymore. If anything they were more scared about you!”

“Wait…they were?” Drill, happy he didn’t need to worry about Comet, now finally processed that he likely hadn’t been in great shape either.

“Yeah, they said your heart was pumping really slowly, and they talked about whether or not they’d have to cut your legs off.”

“My what?!” Drill sprang up and threw the sheets over but to his relief found his hinds were still there.

Mini-heart attack aside it certainly woke him up.

Comet giggled and Drill settled down, panning his eyes around the room. “How long have I been asleep?”

“About three days, the storm ended yesterday and a lot of ponies came by to visit.”

Once more Drill turned to the colt in shock. “Three days?! No wonder I feel so hungry.” Taking a second look he went back to the bedside table full of cards. All were hoofmade to varying degrees of quality, but what surprised him further was the sheer amount of them.

Drill only knew a hoofful of ponies and were friends with even less. Here there were so many cards they were overflowing the extra draws, never mind the table counter.

“Comet?” He spoke without moving. “When you said a lot of ponies came to visit, how many do you mean by that?”

“As many as the stars in the sky!” Drill now turned to face him bewildered. Comet in turn responded more sheepishly. “I…wasn’t counting, I spoke to a bunch of them and told them what happened. Some even remembered you from when I fell from the Generator, I think they like you!”

Drill fell back into his bed as realisation hit him like a truck, oh he could see the headlines now. “Hero father braves storm, rescues crippled pegasus!” It was enough to make him groan from embarrassment. His emotions conflicted with themselves on how he felt, an odd instance where he felt both happy and proud, but also guilty and undeserving.

“Congratulations Drill Bit, you’re a local hero. And it only cost another pony his life.” He internally mumbled, mind catching up with the events and more specifically everything that had transpired in the snow.

Right now, he certainly didn’t feel like a hero. He’d killed some-creature, like he’d actually killed another creature. Granted he had all the justification in the world but he still had blood on his hooves. That’s not something heroes do.

“Then again, it’s because of Iron Might’s military obsession we’re not dogfood right now…”

Again his mind flashes back to the moment Smoke Stack was killed.

“Allegedly.”

“Are you okay Mr. Drill?” Comet squeaked.

“I…” He paused, musing on his words. “I don't know how to feel about this.”

“Really? Isn’t having so many ponies concerned about you being okay a good thing?”

“It’s…It’s complicated Comet, I think you’ll understand when you're older.”

Comet slunk back into his bedding with an annoyed whicker. “I don’t get why ponies keep saying that, young stars and old stars still output the same amount of heat.”

“That’s certainly one way to put it,” He chuckled. “But I digress, when you get older you’ll learn to appreciate the quiet more.”

A soft smile graced Comet’s cheeks and he picked up his book again. It might not have the exact answer he was looking for, but it was a decent one enough.

Another few hours would pass before a doctor would arrive and evaluate the both of them. Judging that they’d recovered well enough the duo were discharged with a small bag of medication to go.

And the streets were alive today.

Most buildings still had leftover snow buildup from the storm and excess was still being cleared from the roads. It was everywhere, behind every pipe, on every building frame and rooftop. But there were just as many ponies working to clear it bit by bit. Being cooped up for several days would’ve made anypony yearn for the outside again, temperature be damned.

Drill never thought the icy air could ever feel so crisp, nor how good it felt to finally stretch his limbs again. Even Comet seemed to share the sentiment as Instead of riding on his back he was prancing about! Albeit slowly with a limp, but it was good to see the colt trying.

Yet he could still sense something was off. Comet was being active, but he’d always steal glances towards his wing, which still drew the curious eye of passer’s by.

“Let’s not pick at an old wound just yet, I’ll ask when appropriate.”

The two continued to weave around traffic and made sure to dodge the afternoon automaton, which still an old sight for Drill, still stood as a spectacle for Comet.

It was a little thing, but it was the little things that counted. Like how ponies smiled and waved to one another, happy to have survived another storm unscathed. Or how he saw a scattered few kids playing in the snow-

“Hang on, isn’t it still work hours?” He squinted. “Why are they out right now?”

Comet took notice as well but he didn’t rush off to join in, rather he skittishly ran over and rejoined Drill’s side. With the colt’s history at the orphanage Drill couldn’t exactly blame him, but being too shy to at least try wasn’t right either.

“Is everything alright Comet?”

He hesitated for a moment, staring at the group from behind Drill’s legs. “I’m scared, what if they make fun of my wing?”

“It’s okay to be scared Comet, but that shouldn't ever stop you.” He leaned down and smiled. “If anything happens I’ll be nearby.”

Slowly, Drill’s smile spread to Comet and the colt crept away, lurching toward the three other foals building a snowpony. After a quick exchange, Comet joined in and Drill took a spot on the side to watch.

There he stayed for a good hour or so smiling as Comet socialised. They’d used small cogs and bolts for its cutie mark, cork in place of buttons, gave it a hood made from a torn burlap bag and even a thin glass bottle for its nose.

It all gave Drill that familiar fatherly joy that’d become so addicting to him. Of course he was still puzzled about how they slipped away from work, but he wasn’t about to drag them to their homes because of it.

“Maybe the storm forced their workplaces to close for a while? They could also just be unemployed, city normally takes a moment to assign jobs. But that’s only if they’re orphans. If they have parents they would’ve either joined them or gone somewhere else…”

He could contemplate all he wanted and try rationalising things, like whatever the light that’d guided him home was, or whatever supernatural force of nature could’ve brought on the frost in the first place. But Drill knew he was but one fish in a big pond, never to know all the answers that be.

Such ignorance was okay though, so long as it didn’t endanger him and Comet again.

“Come to think of it, the owl did try warning me before those Daimdians struck. Maybe he’s not as bad as I thought?” He chuckled to himself. “Steel Beam did say they were heralds of change, not for good or bad specifically. I’m just bad at reading signs without text.”

The kids spent the next several minutes engaged in a snowball fight with Comet trying his best despite his disability. Before long the young pegasus returned to Drill. Pleasantly tired and limping more heavily, he was hoisted up and rested on his back.

“See Comet? Not everypony is a bully.”

“Yeah! They were really nice too! I think you might like Rocky, his dad builds houses!”

“That’s nice to hear,” Drill laughed. “Maybe one day I’ll meet him.”

The two set off again and the more they walked the more Drill saw it, dozens more kids were out and about today. Too many for the earlier group to be an isolated anomaly. While it warmed his heart to see so many young faces roaming free, it still caused him some concern.

“What in Equestria did we miss? The closure of a daycare?”

As if to answer him, his train of thought was derailed by a distant, feminine voice.

“Extra extra! Reforms made to child labour laws! Young apprenticeship system in the works!”

That caught his attention and he turned a corner, seeing an orange pegasus with an oddly-colored mane, too bright to be pink but too dark for purple. She wore a paperpony cap and uniform but over her arm was an Engineer’s armband, which prompted a second look.

A black cog with an orange background atop a pair of reverse chevrons. Drill was no gearhead, but he had enough passing knowledge to note it was a low rank.

Even without all that he still strode forward to take a paper.

CAPTAIN ANNOUNCES LABOUR REFORMS

After careful consideration and differing opinions among his cabinet, Captain Iron Might announces plans to reform the adolescent labour laws in the hopes of increasing learning opportunities whilst maintaining productivity in sectors lacking necessary ponypower.

“I believe that by implementing a system where one learns from an adult, the youth of New Canterlot can stay safe within the workplace and learn at the same time.”

Until these reforms are properly implemented, all minors under sixteen won’t be required to attend work as normal. This is expected to last for up to a week but until then, the new generation may relax.

Drill had to reread the article at least three times before he’d convinced himself it was real. Such was his awe that It almost felt surreal, too good to be true, but here it was bright as day.

Did he have anything to do with this? Did he get a little too popular after returning? He flipped the pages and saw nothing coming even close to mentioning him. He wouldn’t put it past the captain to have the papers say what he wants them to say. Then again it could’ve all been a different issue.

Perhaps he was overthinking things, this could’ve all been the result of Cazrel twisting his arm after witnessing a good pony go to jail. Either way it was fun to think his petition had an effect in one way or another.

While he was mesmerised by the newspaper, Comet was captivated by something else.

In particular, the paperpony’s wings, they were tiny in comparison to the rest of her body and it wasn’t long before she caught him staring. Immediately seeing the cast when Comet’s other wing should’ve been, she greeted the colt with a smile.

“Hey kid, everything alright?” She asked.

Comet darted his eyes for a moment. “Why are your wings so small?”

By now Drill took notice and scowled. “That’s a rude thing to ask Comet.”

However the mare briefly chuckled, “Ah it’s nothing,” she waved a hoof. “I have a condition, they stopped growing when I was a foal and I could never manage to fly more than a hoof above the ground.”

“So…you’re like me?” Comet stretched his remaining wing to demonstrate.

“Yeah, in a way.” She then turned to Drill Bit. “When did it happen? I’m guessing that caste is still fresh.”

“It’s been almost two weeks, he’s…having difficulties.”

“Should I ask?” She grinned.

“I made myself a bad prosthetic wing and nearly crashed into the ground like a meteorite when I fell from the Generator,” Comet spoke with a mixture of shame and slight excitement.

The pegasus’s reply died in her mouth and her jaw was left agap. She half-pointed a hoof towards Comet then paned over to Drill before going back. “Y-You’re them? Oh damn.”

“Are we famous?” Drill jested.

“Oh, a little!” She rolled her eyes sarcastically. “Wish I had the paper with me, but you’ve made yourselves some reputation! Wish I could power through a storm like you did.”

“Thank you, miss uh…”

“Scootaloo, junior engineer, part-time mailpony, and former protege of Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo reared.

If it weren’t for the fact Drill had already met one pony who was close to an Element of Harmony, he might’ve had a stronger reaction beyond mild surprise.

Comet however made up for that, a bright smile crept across his face and stars gleamed within his eyes. “Wooow! You were trained by a Wonderbolt?!”

“Sure was, and by the best of them around!”

“Did she teach you anything about flying with one wing?!”

Despite her smile, Scootaloo couldn’t stop herself from sighing. She closed the distance and after a quick nod of approval from Drill, put a hoof on his shoulder. “Look kid, Comet, the very best I could ever manage was to hover and even then it was difficult. I had to give up on a dream of mine because of this. Sometimes, you gotta accept things in life and make the best of it.”

Comet’s smile dropped, but every one of her words dripped with sincerity and he listened.

“And trust me it will be difficult, but your worth shouldn’t be determined by what you can and can’t do, it’s your talents that matter. Take a look at this!”

Scootaloo then went back to her newspaper stand and pulled out a bulky, metallic scooter with an arrangement of pipes and mechanical components. Despite its unwieldy appearance, she was still able to unfold its handles just fine and present it.

“Had one as a kid but needed an upgrade, so I built this myself! I grew up working on scooters to get around. I did it so much that I developed a knack for it and now I help design new methods of transportation. Scooters and Steam Sleds have more in common than you think.”

A new spark returned to Comet’s eye and he looked up at her with wonder. “Do you think I could one day build a working wing?”

“If you work hard enough, maybe!” She replied. “But you can’t let it take over your life, I thankfully had my friends to help me out. I’m confident that with enough time, you’ll find some way to adapt.”

Drill had to suppress a delighted chuckle as Comet lit up with emotion. Hope, excitement, and determination, all were present in the young colt and it seemed for the first time he felt some level of genuine contentment.

“Thank you miss Scootaloo, couldn’t have said it better myself,” Drill added.

Scootaloo gave the two a salute as Drill waved goodbye, Comet mirroring the act.

The rest of the trip home was blissfully uneventful, though Drill did check over his shoulder a couple of times when entering the apartment building. It was just in time as the sun was already setting and the sky was painted a cold twilight.

It was also pleasingly quiet for once. Aside from the gentle hums of boilers and pipes, there was no other offending noise to distract or distress the two. No arguing couples or distant crying, no loud banging from personal maintenance or overly active machinery.

Given recent events, it was almost too quiet for Drill.

“There’d better not be a crowd outside my door, my apartment can barely fit a conversation.”

An entertaining thought, and thankfully it remained such as they reached their rooms. Comet retreated into his bedroom whilst Drill remained in the reception.

With everything that’d happened, it was good to be home again, but something felt wrong. Something always felt wrong. He’d been through so much so fast, what more was in store for him? And how much had he changed because of it?

How long would it be before the owl paid him another visit?

By now he was exhausted by all he’d been through. Ever since that fateful day at the Ore Plant, things had occurred at lighting speed. First the petition, then the jail, meeting the captain, the Hothouse, the foalnappers…

When was it going to end?

Would it end?

And that last one, it wasn’t lost on him what he’d done and likely it’d never leave him. “I had every right to deal with that mutt as I did but, isn’t friendship all about love and tolerance?”

In the end, he’d got what he wanted from the petition. He’d rescued Comet and fought to bring them home. But there was still a hole in his gut, a black mark on his mind that only smudged when he tried to rub it off. It was… shame.

“Maybe there was another way, maybe if I’d packed more cooling crystals…Smoke would still be alive.”

He felt shame, shame from his failure to prevent his death, shame from his failure to heed the owl’s warning, and shame that he’d stoop so low as to resort to creature slaughter.

But what was done is done and he couldn’t change the past, only live with it.

Drill panned around the room and spotted something hanging from his coat rack, an unused inky black scarf he’d bought a long time ago but never needed. He picked it up and tried it on, practising a simple knot or two.

“I’m not a violent pony, and I’m no murderer.” He then turned to a mirror, viewing himself with the deathly dark scarf. “But if violence is the only way to protect those I love, I’ll damn well do it again.”

Satisfied, he hung the scarf back up and turned to Comet’s door. The night may be young but after everything they’d been through, an early bedtime sounded like a good idea.

He gently knocked and entered to find Comet already curled up under his blankets with that same Cosmology book.

“Hey there Comet, enjoying that?”

“Yeah! I didn’t know there were so many constellations, and that they all had names and different meanings!”

That garnered a soft laugh from Drill. “Well if you don’t mind, there’s a different kind of book I wanted to read to you. A real classic I think you’d enjoy.”

Drill reached for and began picking through Comet’s miniature bookcase. While there were many books to keep him reading for weeks, there was one that was special. One that was more relevant than ever to them.

The Book of Hearth’s Warming.

He pulled it out and blew on the cover, which depicted members from the three pony tribes all surrounded by a ring of fire. Outside were three icy spirits vaguely shaped to equine images, Windigos, which circled around the ring as if to try getting through.

“Once upon a time, ponies were split into three different tribes…”

Drill went on chapter by chapter and page by page as he retold the story of Equestria’s founding. In the background, amber light gently hummed through the window from where the Generator stood—highlighting a single, silent observer. Content not to intervene any longer.

As the night went on and Drill read, Comet’s eyes became weary, yet not once did he ask him to stop. Only after a gentle yawn, Drill realised how much time had passed.

With a smile he bookmarked the page. “I think that’ll be enough for now.”

“But Drill!” Comet protested. “I’m not tired yet!”

“Well unfortunately I am, don’t worry Comet there’s always tomorrow.” He assured. Drill put the book away and walked through the door, taking one last look at the colt before closing.

“Good night Comet.”

“Good night Mr. Drill Bit!”

And so concludes the tale of two, within one city full of trial and tribulations.

The end.

Author's Note

Thanks to all who’ve read until the end! I’ll admit, this was a bit more difficult then I thought it’d be.

After writing The Boy and The Bug, I wanted to try a story format that focused more on shorter chapters that got to the point. With Frostpunk 2 coming out I also wanted to take advantage of the four year D&D campaign I’d been running, so hopefully you can expect more stories set within the frozen post-apocalypse to appear.

I’ve seen stories that try to crossover the setting, some better then others, but most of them are incomplete or lack polish. Not to say I don’t have flaws either I very much recognise that, but it's always been a dream of mine to write these stories.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do writing them.

If there’s a stand-out moment or something you think I should improve upon, let me know in the comments!